THE MEDIA PROJECT

Making a Difference One Scene at a Time

Good writers entertain … great writers entertain and educate. And, the shows can have a truly monumental effect by incorporating healthy sexuality into their scripts. By the time the average high school student graduates, s/he has watched about 20,000 hours of television. That's a lot of influence! Listed below are some recent shows that have taken the step to make a difference. Whether dealing with sexual abuse, contraception, or unplanned pregnancy or portraying strong parent-child communication or peer pressure resistance, the producers and writers of these programs have a right to be proud. The Media Project congratulates them! After all, great television means more than Nielsen numbers and Emmy Awards … it can change someone's life.

<< 2005 SHOWS >> << 2004 SHOWS >> << 2003 SHOWS >> << 2002 SHOWS >>

May 2005

• 60 Minutes—The Pledge—May 22, 2005—CBS
  This episode xamines virginity pledges and federally funded abstinence-only-until-marriage programs.
• Grey's Anatomy—Who's Zoomin' Who?—May 22, 2005—ABC
  An outbreak of a sexually transmitted disease affects several members of the hospital staff, prompting Chief Webber to call a meeting. Meanwhile, the chief reluctantly confides to Dr. (Derek) Shepherd about his own medical concerns. Izzie and Cristina are worried by the wife and daughter of a patient who are at odds with each other over his care. Burke treats Bill, a college buddy whose medical diagnosis raises some questions regarding his wife's actions. And just as Meredith and Derek grow more intimate, a bombshell is dropped.
• My Wife and Kids—The V Story—May 17, 2005—ABC
  Jay insists that Michael have a vasectomy so they can really enjoy being “empty nesters.”
• The OC—The O’Sea—May 12, 2005—Fox
  Ryan runs into his ex, Teresa, not knowing she has given birth to his baby.
• The Gilmore Girls—Blame Booze & Melville—May 10, 2005—The WB
  Is Lorelei pregnant?
• 7th Heaven—Leaps of Faith—May 9, 2005—The WB
  Simon awaits the results of his STD test.
• Desperate Housewives—Sunday in the Park with George—May 8, 2005—ABC
  After Carlos tampered with her birth control pills, Elise discovers she is pregnant.
• Law & Order: Trial by Jury—Boys Will Be Boys—May 6, 2005—NBC
  The killer of a transvestite will not accept his gay son or his son’s being the lover of the murder victim.
• The OC—The Return of Nana—May 5, 2005—Fox
  Marissa is nearly raped by Ryan’s brother, Trey.

April 2005

• Law & Order: SVU—Hooked—April 30, 2005—NBC
  When the body of a teenager is found along with her older cousin's identification, Benson and Stabler investigate. They learn the teenager had been part of a group that 'hooked up' on the Internet.
• Eve—Taking the Test—April 26, 2005—UPN
  Shelly gets tested for HIV at the encouragement of Grant, her new boyfriend.
• One Tree Hill—The Lonesome Road—April 26, 2005—The WB
  Anna comes out to her parents.
• Jack & Bobby—A Child of God—April 20, 2005—The WB
  Missy finds out she is pregnant. When her parents pressure her to marry or to move out of the house, Missy decides to ask Grace to go with her to have an abortion rather than marry someone she doesn’t love.
• Everwood—Fate Accomplis—April 18, 2005—The WB
  On the morning of his Juilliard audition in New York City, Ephram finds out that his former girlfriend, Madison, was pregnant with his child when she left Everwood.
• Without A Trace—4.0—Sunday, April 17, 2005—CBS
  A straight “A” prep school student disappears. The team discovers her past includes drugs, married men, and an unplanned pregnancy.
• Cold Case—Daniela—April 10, 2005—CBS
  Edwin becomes Daniela, who runs away from home at early age, hangs out with commercial sex workers, and falls in love with a high school student. The relationship crashes when the student's father intervenes because he does not like his son being involved with another guy. Daniela commits suicide.
  

MARCH 2005

• Law & Order: SVU—March 29, 2005—NBC
  Detective Benson enlists a children’s rights attorney when an alcoholic and abusive woman tries to force a rape test on her daughter in order to prove that the daughter is sexually active.
• Judging Amy—March 22, 2005—CBS
  An HIV-positive teen gets a lesson about living with HIV.
• The OC—March 17, 2005—Fox
  Marissa resolves her confusion about her sexuality.
• 8 Simple Rules—March 4, 2005—ABC
  In order to support the rights of gay students to invite a same-sex date to the prom, Kerry sets an example and goes with a girl friend.
  TAKE P.A.R.T. >> Write to the FCC and ABC Applauding 8 Simple Rules' Depiction Straight Youth's Support for the Rights of Gay & Lesbian Youth
• Gilmore Girls—March 1, 2005—The WB
  Rory surprises everyone with a rare outburst regarding the family’s interference in Lorelai's love life.

FEBRUARY 2005

• 7th Heaven—February 28, 2005—The WB
  Although he practices safer sex, Simon panics when his current girlfriend, Sandra (guest-star Olivia Allen), confesses to him that she has a sexually transmitted infection.
• One Tree Hill—February 22, 2005—The WB
  When Tree Hill High does a time capsule project, the “gang” confesses intimate secrets to an anonymous video camera.
  TAKE P.A.R.T. >> Write to the FCC and The WB Applauding One Tree Hill's Sensitive Portrayal of Sexual Orientation
• The Simpsons—February 20, 2005—Fox
  Marge's sister “comes out" and wants to marry her partner.
• Desperate Housewives—February 19, 2005—ABC
  Bree's daughter is caught with a condom because she is thinking about having sex for the first time.
• Jack & Bobby—February 16, 2005—The WB
  Courtney’s right to confidential health services is violated when a contact tells Courtney's father that Courtney went to the health clinic to ask for emergency contraception.
• Everwood—February 14, 2005—The WB
  Brite gets a lecture from his mom for not treating his current and past romantic partners with kindness and respect. Amy learns that Ephram got Madison pregnant.
• The Bernie Mac Show —February 11, 2005—Fox
  Bernie's niece wants to date a teenage father. Bernie provides a talk on responsible sexual behavior.
  TAKE P.A.R.T. >> Write to the FCC and Fox Applauding The Bernie Mac Show's Portrayal of Adults and Youth Talking about Sex
• ER—February 10, 2005—NBC
  Keri meets her birth mom, who won't accept that Keri is lesbian.
  TAKE P.A.R.T. >> Write to the FCC and NBC Applauding ER's Sensitive Portrayal of Sexual Orientation
• Jack & Bobby—February 9, 2005—The WB
  Courtney has unprotected sex and seeks emergency contraception.
• 7th Heaven—February 7, 2005—The WB
  Ruthie goes on her first date and Kevin decides to talk with her about sex.
• Scrubs—February 1, 2005—NBC
  JD falls for a woman whose boyfriend contracted gonorrhea while cheating on her. Doctor-patient confidentiality forbids JD from telling the woman about the boyfriend’s gonorrhea.
• One Tree Hill—February 1, 2005—The WB
  Anna comes to terms with her bisexuality.

JANUARY 2005

• Teens and Sex: The 411—January 26, 2005—NBC
  Katie Couric talks with teens about sex.
• Smallville—January 26, 2005—The WB
  Lana feels pressured to have sex in order to maintain her relationship with her boyfriend.
• House—January 25, 2005—Fox
  An elderly woman tests positive for syphilis.
• General Hospital—January 24, 2005—ABC
  Connor rapes Emily.
• Boston Legal—January 23, 2005—ABC
  Brad tries to “convert” a lesbian to heterosexuality.
• Numb3rs—January 23, 2005—CBS
  Numbers and patterns help in locating a serial rapist.
• Today—January 21, 2005—NBC
  Katie Couric examines the issue of teens and sex.
• Monk—January 21, 2005—USA
  Monk reveals that he knows his new assistant recently started dating because he found birth control pills in her purse.
• What I Like About You—January 21, 2005—The WB
  Holly accidentally “outs” her boss and the boss is relieved because nobody cares.
• The OC—January 20, 2005—Fox
  Marissa questions her sexual orientation when her relationship with a girl grows stronger.
• Law & Order: SVU—January 18, 2005—NBC
  A circumcision is botched and a boy is surgically altered into a girl. But, she doesn’t learn about it until she commits a crime.
• Huff—January 15, 2005—Showtime
  Izzy goes to the doctor who asks her if she used a condom when she had sex. Izzy asks why she should use a condom when she can’t get pregnant. The doctor tells her that she needs to use condoms to protect herself from sexually transmitted infections.
• ER—January 13, 2005—NBC
  A pre-operative transgender person is mistakenly diagnosed as being pregnant instead of as having testicular cancer.
• The George Lopez Show—January 11, 2005—ABC
  For her 16th birthday, Carmen asks her parents’ permission to go to a doctor for birth control pills.
• A Woman’s Story of Rape—January 11, 2005—HBO
  A woman tells how she survived being raped.
• Law & Order: SVU—January 11, 2005—NBC
  A soccer coach molests a nine-year-old girl.
• American Dreams—January 9, 2005—NBC
  Meg loses her virginity.
• life as we know it—January 6, 2005—ABC
  Ben’s teacher gets caught having an affair with Ben.
• Without a Trace—January 6, 2005—CBS
  A 16-year-old girl is missing and searchers learn that she had an abortion.
• Drawn Together—January 5, 2005—Comedy Central
  The princess thinks she might be pregnant after she kisses Foxy Brown. Foxy Brown talks with her about sex.
• West Wing—January 5, 2005—NBC
  Rumor circulates on the net that CJ is gay; meanwhile the President works to get gay marriage off the budget bill.
• Dynasty—January 2, 2005—ABC
  The episode shows how difficult it was to portray an openly gay character on primetime television in the 1980s.
• The Mountain—January 2, 2005—The WB
  After their condom breaks, a couple seeks emergency contraception.

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